Bloomsday In A Class By Itself Author Says Bloomies On Cutting Edge Of Racing

Bloomsday captures the imagination of a community like no other race in the country, a columnist and former editor of Runner’s World magazine said Saturday.

Joe Henderson has written 22 books on running since he began logging miles in 1958.

“Nobody comes close to this,” Henderson said as he prepared for an hourlong talk on running basics.

His talk at the Ag Trade Center was one of a dozen attractions for people who picked up their numbers and informational packets. An additional 1,628 people signed up late Saturday, putting the final figure at 50,200 registrants for this morning’s 24th annual race.

While years past have brought grumbles from serious runners who feel swallowed by the slower masses, Henderson said rowdy Bloomies are the cutting edge in racing.

People who don’t feel like athletes feel comfortable joining this race, and they add to the party feel of Bloomsday, he said.

“It’s kind of what running’s evolved into,” Henderson said. An exclusionary attitude of the ‘70s has mellowed, he said, into a more accepting mood that embraces slower runners and walkers.

The average Bloomsday runners and walkers have actually supported the high-powered runners by drawing more attention and corporate sponsorship, he said.

Maybe that real-folks feel accounts for the passion for the race that some people have, such as Sally Jo Tokarsyck from Cheney. She’s a medical assistant nearing age 50.

She cried after finishing her first Bloomsday in 1981 because it was a blow against her lifelong battle with her weight, she said.

“I never thought I could walk that far,” Tokarsyck said.

She walked the next year and every year since.

She persisted when she felt sick as a dog from chemotherapy that stopped her breast cancer.

A surgery to repair a hole in her hip last year threatened to sideline her, until her future husband offered to push her in a rented wheelchair, which took 2 hours and 46 minutes. That’s when she knew she would marry Leon Patrick Jr. It’s a second wedding for both.

“I just knew,” she said. “That was a turning point in our relationship.”

Tokarsyck sent wedding invitations to 100 family members and friends. After the wedding and reception Saturday, Tokarsyck, her family and her new husband will walk the course hand in hand today.

For her 20th Bloomsday and his third, they’ll be the couple wearing shirts that say “Just” on one and “Married” on the other.

“This year,” she said, “Bloomsday will be very special.”